


To the Ends of the Earth

by Hikage_Phoenix



Category: IT (1990), IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Best Friends, Bullying, First Meeting, Fluff, Going on a date, Kinda, M/M, Not much plot, innocent crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23234158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hikage_Phoenix/pseuds/Hikage_Phoenix
Summary: Eddie remembered the first time he met Bill. The kid was just as small and scrawny as he was, but he had seemed larger than life, and from that moment Eddie vowed that he would follow Bill to the ends of the earth.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak, Bill Denbrough/Eddie Kaspbrak, kaspbrough - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	To the Ends of the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a fluffy piece I wrote about Eddie and Bill, with some innocent crushing involved. There’s not much plot but I try to imagine how their first meeting might have gone. It ended up being all from Eddie’s point of view. The timeline is kind of vague, but I imagined it to be before the Losers’ Club formed. The way I wrote it, it could take place in any canon, book, mini-series, or movie.

“Bye, Mom!” Eddie called out, heading out the front door as he saw Bill riding up in front of his house on Silver, his bike. He just barely heard his mom stutter her disapproval as the front door closed. She never liked it when he went to play outdoors.

He ran over to Bill, who kept the bike steady with his foot as Eddie precariously perched himself on the back. He had been apprehensive the first time Bill took him for a ride on the back of Silver, but now he trusted both Bill and Silver with his life. He wrapped his arms securely around Bill’s waist and leaned his head against Bill’s back, and they took off. The two of them were going to hang out in the Barrens.

Ever since the two of them became friends, Eddie had been happier than he ever was in his life. He never had any real friends before, since most kids thought he was a weirdo, with his asthma and fears of getting sick. But Bill had never judged him.

Eddie remembered the first time he met Bill. The kid was just as small and scrawny as he was, but he had seemed larger than life, and from that moment Eddie vowed that he would follow Bill to the ends of the earth.

__

_“Hey, girly boy!”_

_Eddie cringed as he heard Henry Bowers and his pack of cronies approach him from behind. School had just let out, and Eddie normally tried to quietly slip away so he could go home without incident, but sometimes Henry would be able to catch him. Oh god, his mom would have another fit if he came home with more injuries. He glanced wildly around for an escape route._

_Unfortunately, luck was not on his side today. Henry grabbed Eddie by the shoulder and pushed him roughly against the scratchy brick wall of the school. He gasped, feeling his breath start to quicken. Even though it was a bad idea with the bullies right in front of him, he unconsciously fumbled for his inhaler._

_“Look at him, the sick kid.”_

_Henry snatched the inhaler from Eddie’s trembling hands and tossed it behind him. Eddie watched, dismayed. Today might be the day he finally died. The hand on his shoulder tightened painfully and Eddie braced himself for a beating, squeezing his eyes shut._

_“H-h-hey, leave h-him alone.”_

_A new voice sounded behind the bullies. Eddie cracked an eye open but couldn’t see who it was due to his short stature. He recognized the voice though._

_“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Stuttering Bill. Trying to play hero?”_

_The bullies turned to look at the newcomer, allowing Eddie to see his perhaps savior. Or maybe they would both get beaten to a pulp now. After all, Bill was only slightly taller than Eddie; he was still all bones and there was no chance he’d win a fight against Henry._

_“Looks like you’re asking for it too,” Henry sneered._

_But Bill seemed unfazed. Despite his stutter, he spoke with a calm that surprised Eddie._

_“N-n-not unless y-y-you want to r-r-rep-peat another year, H-h-henry. I t-t-told the teacher a-and s-s-she’s not pleased about a-all these f-fights you get into.”_

_Henry glared at Bill, narrowing his eyes. But Eddie couldn’t believe it, he was actually contemplating Bill’s words. Or maybe it was something in Bill’s expression, something sharp in his eyes that glinted and hid a greater power. Bill wasn’t afraid._

_Henry dropped his crushing grip on Eddie’s shoulder, and motioned to his gang._

_“Let’s go. Next time, Stuttering Bill,” he added in Bill’s direction, holding Bill’s gaze and bumping his shoulder as he stalked past._

_Eddie let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, but then his body remembered its struggle for breath and his asthma immediately flared up again._

_“O-oh, my God, I can’t breathe, I—can you—?” he stumbled over his words as he sank to the grass. But Bill was already retrieving Eddie’s inhaler from the ground._

_“H-h-here, take it e-e-easy.” Bill knelt down next to Eddie and helped him maneuver the inhaler to his mouth. Eddie took a deep puff and sighed, closing his eyes._

_“Thank you so much. I was so afraid they were finally going to get me, and my mom, she’d go crazy, and oh my gosh I thought I was going to die,” Eddie rambled, until a wave of embarrassment washed over him. His cheeks flushed, and he looked down. “I’m so sorry…”_

_But Bill just smiled._

_“I-i-it’s okay. You’re okay,” Bill gently took Eddie’s hand in a gesture of comfort. “I-I’m B-b-bill. We’re in the s-s-s-same c-class. Y-y-you’re E-eh-eddie, right?”_

_Eddie peeked up again. “Y-yeah.” The two of them had never spoken in class before, since he always tried to stay inconspicuous, but he had seen Bill deal with his fair share of bullies too. He smiled, squeezing Bill’s hand. It sounded cheesy to remember now, but at that moment, seeing Bill’s smile and the sun behind him illuminating his face and hair like a halo, all he could think was that Bill seemed like an angel that had come down from heaven to save him._

_Bill pulled Eddie to his feet. “Y-y-you wanna come h-hang at my p-p-place? I-I’m fixin’ up my b-bike, S-s-silver.”_

_Eddie beamed. “Sure. I know a thing or two about that, I could help you out.”_

_The two of them set off for Bill’s, and that was the start of their friendship._

__

Silver’s tires squeaked as Bill brought the bike to a stop. Eddie carefully hopped off and Bill parked Silver under a tree. It was a hot summer day, and as Eddie looked at Bill, he could see the sunshine sparkling off Bill’s head like it had that fateful day…

He shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts from his head. What the heck was he even thinking about?

The two of them spent the day exploring the Barrens, and even though they didn’t talk much, they simply enjoyed each other’s company. As they carefully crossed a stream by stepping on rocks, Eddie lost his balance for a moment. His heart jumped frantically, but Bill’s firm hand grabbed his, and Eddie relaxed immediately at the familiar touch. Bill was always the steady rock he could rely on. They held hands the rest of the way.

Later, they were sitting on the grass taking a break, but Eddie was still thinking about the way Bill’s hand fit in his, and his face flushed red. His heart was being awfully loud as well. It wasn’t like an asthma attack, but another strange, unfamiliar feeling was blooming in his chest. He buried his face in his hands.

“H-hey, E-e-eddie, w-w-what’s wrong? I-is it an attack?” Bill always noticed immediately when Eddie was troubled.

Eddie looked at Bill through his fingers, seeing his worried face scanning Eddie for signs of injury. Oh my gosh, he was beautiful. He didn’t know what he did to deserve having Bill as his best friend. A best friend he might have feelings for. He covered his face again.

“It’s nothing,” he mumbled, knowing that Bill wasn’t going to leave it at that. He felt Bill’s arm wrap around his shoulder and pull him closer.

“Y-y-you know you c-can t-tell me a-anyth-thing, Eddie,” Bill said.

Eddie still wasn’t reassured, since there were already rumors about him being queer due to his fragile and small appearance. He had heard the names being called behind his back, and who knew how bad things would become if the kids knew he liked Bill. But he knew Bill would never betray his trust.

“I think I like you…” he said shyly, finally removing his hands to look at Bill.

Eddie was surprised to see Bill’s shocked face staring at him, and he looked away, preparing to be made fun of. His heart sank at the thought of losing his best friend. But then he felt Bill’s hand come up to rest in his hair, then gently push his head down onto Bill’s shoulder. Eddie glanced up tentatively, and saw Bill also looking the other way, blushing and eyes averted in embarrassment.

“I-I l-l-li-like y-you t-too, E-eh-eh-ed—,” Bill stumbled over his words even more than usual as he tried to reply. Eddie gaped up at him. He had never seen Bill embarrassed before.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, but finally in a bold move, Eddie nestled himself comfortably on Bill’s shoulder, and carefully reached his hand out and placed it on Bill’s free one. Bill finally looked at him again, and the two of them smiled at each other shyly. They laced their fingers together and sat there for a while longer.

Eddie didn’t know if they were going to talk about it, or whether their relationship was going to change in any way, but sitting there with Bill, it didn’t matter at the moment.

This was still the boy he would stay with and follow to the ends of the earth.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kaspbrough is my It OTP so I hope you enjoyed my self-indulgent writing.


End file.
